"As long as you're breathing, it's never too late to do some good" — Maya Angelou

As the first leg of the "YES Tour" rolls on, I've been reflecting on how the timing of this journey feels incredibly... ironic [I think I'm using that in the right context haha]. Since I last wrote on Monday, we’ve performed at Hard Rock Cafe New Orleans, LA, and Hard Rock Cafe Biloxi, MS, traveled through Alabama, and are now in Houston, TX, gearing up for an open mic event tonight before making our way to Dallas.

The irony is that - quite unintentionally - this tour feels perfectly timed as we lead up to the release of my upcoming album "Fight the Fear" on August 4th.

Presave the album here on Spotify

But I digress... Let's talk about New Orleans

Our show at Hard Rock Cafe New Orleans was unforgettable. It's been rather coincidental that almost every single show we've done thus far has somehow aligned with a visiting youth group, youth conference, or youth organization. New Orleans was no exception, except this time: they were from Philadelphia. Since we hadn't conducted a songwriting workshop in New Orleans, we decided to pivot, and invited whoever wanted to come up on stage to talk to our wonderful intern Nadia, and request to perform a song.

It works like this:

1. They scan the QR code on my banner or business card
2. The banner takes them to my bio site [kind of like a LinkTree for Instagram
3. The last option on my bio site takes them to my Spotify playlist of ALL the songs in my repertoire [songs I both sing and play guitar for]
4. Then they let Nadia know what song they'd like to perform, and Nadia manages the wait list for me [haha].

An 11 year old kid named Colton sang Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah”, a group of girls sang Kings of Leon' “Use Somebody”, and I even had Pastor Tim perform "My Own Worst Enemy" by Lit. [Hey, we all need to feed our inner child from time to time].

The defining moment, however, was when the audience joined me on stage to sing backup vocals for my song “Harmony.” It was a beautiful display of unity and connection, a reminder of how music can bring people together and create lasting memories.

So yes. New Orleans was dope. But Biloxi, Mississippi?!

Biloxi was a different experience. The Hard Rock Cafe there, connected to a casino, had much fewer kids in attendance. Despite that, we packed the restaurant and stuck to our strategy of two covers per original [THANK YOU, HARD ROCK FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE OF ORIGINAL MUSIC!!]. During the show, however, I had three realizations:

1. We were in the deep South, a place full of cultural judgments and stereotypes.
2. I'm a brown woman, with a drummer who is also... not what we would refer to as a "lighter and brighter" [except in personality - he's a rather positive chap].
3. Much of my music addresses social justice issues, especially the songs from my upcoming album “Fight the Fear"... which we performed several of.

These songs include:

• "What If?" about rebelling against today’s superficial fame
• "Seven Two," which speaks to making the best of a bad hand [s/o to my poker players out there!]
• "I Hope You Never," dedicated to those battling ego and ambition
• "Glitter," [of course] which encourages recognizing our value in a broken world.

We also played “Superhero,” “Together We Rise,” and “Harmony,” all rooted in social justice themes. Here's "Glitter" again, ICYMI, featuring my wonderful friends Gabbi Marie and Marya Hay:

Anyway, what I'm really trying to say is this:

Performing these songs in the South was intentional. Despite the world's current chaos, Saturday's insanity, the fear-mongering and clear divide of media, and political unrest, my mission with music has always been to heal, empower, and build community.

And it seems to be working. So many people have approached me these past few days to thank me for the positive messages and the love. During times of crisis, love is a superpower. It helps us find peace in chaos and purpose in pain.

Which brings us to here:

We just arrived in to Houston last night, and tonight we’re planning on performing at an open mic event that Nadia found. Houston’s vibrant music scene is something I’ve always been curious about [after all, it's the hometown of Beyonce!], and I’m eager to connect with new audiences and fellow musicians.

I’m also super excited about our upcoming shows in Dallas [7/19], Austin [7/20], Palm Beach [7/22], and San Antonio [7/23]. Each city brings its unique energy, and I can’t wait to continue to share my music and message with more incredible people.

If you know anyone in these cities who might enjoy the shows, Emma, please spread the word!

And, of course, if you or your teenager is interested in turning your pain into purpose through songwriting and music, I'd love to hop on a call with you to learn more about your goals, and see how I can help. I haven't really mentioned it, but Nadia is actually one of my YES clients, and she's about to record one of the songs I helped her write recently called "Almighty" [working title]. This internship is her deep dive into learning more about the music industry, as that's one of her goals after she graduates high school.

But the coaching isn't just for those wanting to become musicians. It all goes back to turning pain into power, struggles into songs, and chaos into choruses. ;-)

I'm currently accepting clients starting September 16. This is a chance to explore your creativity, find your voice, and use music as a powerful tool for healing and self-expression.

Okay, that was a much longer email than I anticipated. What can I say? There's a lot going on. Till next week, have an amazing day on purpose,

x

Emma G

PS. If you want to see more of the BTS shenanigans happening on tour, make sure to follow me on Instagram by clicking here!